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(ModeL) C 2 Sheets -Sheet 1.

W. MASON.

' LOOK FOR FIRE ARMS. No. 247,938. Patented Oct. 4,1881.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(ModeL) W. MASON.

LOOK FOR FIRE ARMS.

Patented Oct. 4, 1881.

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NY PETERS. Phoin-Ulhogmphur. wamiugmuv D c.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MASON, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE COLTS PATENT FIRE-ARMS MANUFACTURlNG COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LOCK FOR FIRE-ARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,938, dated October 4, 1881.

Application filed August 13, 1881. (Modeh) To all whom it may concern$ Be it known that I, WM. MASON, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut,havein vented new Improvements in Gun-Locks; and I do herebydcclare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,

and represent, in-

Figure 1, a sectional side view; Figs. 2 to 6, detached views; Figs. 7 and 8, modifications.

This invention relates to an improvementin I 5 the lock mechanism for revolvin g firearms, and

particularly to that class which are constructed so that the hammer may be either cocked by hand or by pulling the trigger, the object being to utilize the mainspring ot' the look as the spring, not only for the hammer, but for the trigger, sear, pawl which rotates the cylinder, and also to throw back the hammer after it has delivered its blow; and the invention consists in an arrangement of levers between the mainspring, hammer, and trigger, whereby the mainspring is applied to produce the above object, as more fully hereinafter described.

A represents the frame or receiver; B, the

cylinder; C, the hammer, hung upon a pivot,

a, and so as to turn thereonin the usual manner; D, the trigger, hung upon a pivot, d. From the hammer C an arm, E, extends forward, so as to engage a shoulder, a, on an arm,

5 F, (which extends up from thetrigger and forms the sear and upper arm of the trigger, as seen in Fig. 2,) when thrown back to full-cock, to hold it in that position.

H is a hook-shaped dog or stirrup hung to the arm F of the trigger, and extending down so that its hooked nose hlies below the arm E of the hammer; hence when the trigger is pulled, as from the position seen in Fig. 1 to that in Fig. 3, the dog H will rise with the arm 5 F of the trigger and engage the arm E of the hammer, and raise it to about the cooked position, at which point the dog H will escape from the arm E of the hammer, and permit the hammerto fly forward by the force of the main- 5o spring.

L L are the two arms of a lever having its fulcrum at l on the hammer, in rear of the hammer-pivot. The shorter arm, L, extends rearward and is engaged with the mainspring P. The forward arm, L, engages with the dog H, so that the power of the mainspring is applied not only to the hammerthrongh the fulcrum l, but to the dog H, the differencein thelengths of the two arms of the lever making the force of the mainspring upon the dog proportionately light when compared with its force upon the hammer.

The engagementof the arm L with the dog H is best made by a notch, 11, in the arm L of the lever, which rests on the nose of the dog H. This bearing of the lever upon the dog by the force of the mainspring also applies that force to the trigger, in rear of the pivot, tending always to force the trigger forward, so that the mainspring serves as a trigger spring.

'When the hammer is set at full-cock, as seen in Fig. 2, the arm E of the hammer is carried above the nose of the dog; hence in pulling the trigger the nose of the dog will raise this arm of the lever until the sear escapes from the hammer, the lever rocking on its fulcrum for this movement of the trigger, and when the trigger is so pulled against the pressure of the lever and its spring as to free the hammer, then the power of the spring is applied tothe ham- 8o mer through the fulcrum Z to throw it forward to the position seen in Fig. 4.

To apply the mainspring to the pawl S as well as to the hammer and trigger, I construct the'said pawl with a pivot to extend through the arm of the trigger, as seen in Fig. 6. The pawl is shown detached in perspective in Fig. 5 looking from the opposite side to the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. This pivot extends through the dog H, and forms also the pivot of that dog, but the bearing for-the dog H on the pivot is made eccentric-to the bearing 15 ot' the pawl, as seen at a, Fig. 5, and'so that the bearin g of the dog comes forward of the center of'the bearing of the pawl; hence the power of 5 the spring upon the dog will pull downward upon itscccentric part of the pivot, (as upon a crank,) tending to turn the pawl forward and bear it against its ratchet T, so that as the trigger is pulled the pawl will rise and turn the loo cylinder in the usual manner.

In order that the cockin g by hand may draw back the trigger, and also operate the cylinder, the arm F of the trigger extends up over the arm E of the hammer, so that in cooking by hand, as in Fig. 2, the arm E will be thrown upward, carrying with it the pawl S until it comes to full-cocked position. The arm F also takes a bearing upon the surface V, sothat after the hammer has been thrown down, asin Fig. 4, and then the trigger released, the end of the arm F will strike upon the surface V above the pivot and force the hammer to the rear, as seen in Fig. 1, so as to take its nose away from its most advanced position, and out of the way of the next advancing cartridge, and so that the hammer will not stand bearing upon the primer.

The arrangement of the lever L L and the connection H between its forward arm and the trigger eccentricall y upon the pivotof the pawl S may be used without the self-cocking arrangement of the connection or dog, so that the hammer can only be cocked by hand; or

7 those parts may be used without the shoulder e and corresponding notch in the arm E of the hammer, and thereby be only self-cocking. I therefore do not wish to confine the invention to a combined hand and self cockin g hammer.

While designed with special reference to revolving fire-arms, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that this invention may be applied to other breech-loading arms, and with special advantage in the class of breech-loading arms known as concealed hammers, and which are necessarilymade self-cockin g. (For illustration see Fig. 7.) In this case the dog H, instead of hanging downward, extends upward, and engages the arm E, extending rearward from the hammer. In this case the lever is inverted,and has its fulcrum 1 forward of the pivot instead of in rear of it, as in the first instance, and the bearingsurface Von the hammer for retreating it after it has struck its blow is below the pivot instead of above, as in the first instance. In this case, as in the first, the trigger is pulled to draw the hammer backward, as seen in broken lines, until the end of the long arm L of the lever forces the dog from its connection with the arm E of the hammer, substantially as in the first instance. Then the hammer is free to return, the bearing of the mainspring upon the lever serving to forcethe hammer backward; also serving as the spring for the trigger, spring for the engaging-dog, and spring for the retreat of the hammer, substantially as in the first instance.

Instead of making the lever L L of the third order, it may be a lever of the first order, as seen in Fig. 8that is to say, the spring takes its bearing between the hammer and dog.

I claim- 1. In a lock for fire-arms, the combination of the pivoted hammer, a trigger provided with a dog to engage said hammer and draw itinto position for discharge, a lever taking a bearing on said hammer and dog, the mainspring arranged with its working end seated on the said lever, whereby it applies its force to the hammer for discharge, and serves also as the spring for the trigger and the engaging-dog, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the hammer O, the trigger D, constructed to engage the hammer at full-cock, the lever L L, and the mainspring D, the said lever arranged to bear upon the hammer, and also connected with the trigger, the said mainspring arranged to bear upon said lever, whereby it imparts its force through said lever to said hammer and trigger, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the hammer (l, the trigger D, constructed to engage the hammer at full cock, the lever L L, and the mainspring D, the said lever arranged to bear upon the hammer, and also connected with the trigger, the said mainspring arranged to bear upon said lever, whereby it imparts its force through said lever to said hammer and trigger, the trigger also arranged to bear upon a surface, V, upon the hammer, whereby the hammer is also retreated by the force of the mainsprin g, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the hammer O, the trigger D, constructed to engage the hammer at full-cock, the pawl S, hung to an arm extending up from the trigger, the lever L L, having its fulcrum upon the hammer in rear of its pivot, the mainspring arranged to engage one arm of the lever in rear of its fulcrum, the other arm connected to the trigger by a dog or stirrup, H, hung eccentrically upon the pivot of the pawl S, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the hammer O, the trigger D, the pawl S, hung to an arm extending upward from the trigger, the dog H, eccentrically hung upon the pivot of the pawl, and so as to engage an arm extending forward from the hammer, the lever L L, having its fulcrum upon the hammer in rear of its pivot, the mainspring arranged to engage one arm of said lever in rear of its fulcrum, the other arm engaging the said dog, substantially as and for the purpose described.

WILLIAM MASON.

Witnesses LEANDER CONKLIN, DWIGHT A. PERKINS. 

